Change Desktop Background in Ubuntu Linux

Changing the desktop background in Ubuntu Linux lets you personalize your workspace using any image file you want. Ubuntu 22.04 and newer versions give you several ways to update your wallpaper. You can choose a built-in picture in Settings, or right-click an image in the Files app and choose Set as Wallpaper. On newer releases that menu entry may read Set as Background. This guide covers both methods, plus dynamic wallpapers and the light and dark variants.

How to set background wallpaper in Ubuntu Linux

To change your desktop background, open the Settings app, go to the background options, and pick a new image from the built-in set or from your own pictures folder. The tool is part of Ubuntu, so you don’t need to install anything. You don’t need administrator rights either, because the wallpaper is a per-user setting.

On some versions, including the Ubuntu 22.04 layout described here, the options sit in the Background panel. On newer releases such as Ubuntu 24.04, the wallpaper choices are on the Appearance panel. If you can’t find one of these in the sidebar, look for the other. The steps below name the panel for each case.

Below is how to change your desktop background in Ubuntu Linux. The whole job takes about a minute, and you can switch back to any earlier image at any time. No restart or logout is needed.

First, open the Settings app. You can reach it from the Activities search or from the system menu. Both ways are covered here.

The second way to open Settings is through the system menu.

1. Click the System menu at the top-right corner of the top bar. It is the group of network, sound and power icons.
2. Look at the menu that drops down. You should see the volume slider, the network and Bluetooth🔷 buttons, and a row of icons at the bottom.

1. Select Settings in the System menu, as highlighted below. It is the gear icon.
2. Wait for the Settings⚙️ window to open, with a list of categories on the left.

1. In the Settings app, click the Background tile in the left sidebar to open the panel. On Ubuntu 24.04 and other newer releases, click Appearance instead.
2. Check the right side of the window. The wallpaper options should now be shown.

If the sidebar is hidden because the window is narrow, widen the window or use the menu button at the top left to bring the category list back.

The currently selected wallpaper is shown at the top of the screen. Below it is a grid of the images that come with the system. If you ever want to know which image you started with, look here before you change anything.

1. Click one of the background images shipped with the system.
2. Watch the desktop. The image you select applies immediately, so there is no Apply or OK button to press.

If you don’t like the result, click another image. Each click replaces the previous choice.

The change shows up on your desktop and on the preview at the top of the panel at the same moment. The lock screen background follows the same setting in most Ubuntu releases.

Wallpapers with a small clock icon in the bottom-right corner of their thumbnail are dynamic options. These wallpapers change slowly throughout the day, for example from a light daytime look to a darker evening one. Pick one of these if you want the desktop to follow the time of day. Pick a normal image if you want it to stay the same.

Current Ubuntu versions can also keep separate light and dark wallpapers. These follow the style you choose in the Appearance settings. To use them:

1. Open Settings › Appearance.
2. Under the style choices at the top, click Light or Dark. On some releases there is also a Default option. The windows and panels change colour straight away.
3. Pick a wallpaper from the grid below. Some thumbnails show a light and a dark version of the same picture. The desktop shows the version that matches your current style.
4. To set the other variant, switch the style to the other choice and pick a wallpaper again. Check the desktop to confirm it shows the image you wanted.

Not every release or wallpaper handles light and dark the same way. If your version has no style choice in the panel, it only keeps one wallpaper at a time. Wallpapers you add yourself are normally a single image, so they look the same in both styles unless your version lets you set each one separately.

Personal photos work well if the default system images do not fit your style. Ubuntu accepts common image formats such as JPG and PNG. Larger images with the same shape as your screen look best, because small ones get stretched and can look blurry. You can add a picture from the Settings panel or straight from the Files app.

1. Click Add Picture… in the background options.
2. Look at the file chooser that opens. It starts in the Pictures folder, since most photo management applications store photos there.

A quicker route is the Files app, which skips Settings entirely:

1. Open Files and browse to the folder that holds your image.
2. Right-click the image file.
3. Choose Set as Wallpaper from the menu. Depending on your version, the entry may read Set as Background, or it may sit under Open With (Open With › Set as Wallpaper).
4. Look at your desktop. The image should be applied at once, with no confirmation prompt.

If you don’t see the entry, check that you right-clicked an image file and not a folder. Also check that the file is a supported type. Images set this way also appear in the wallpaper panel in Settings afterwards.

1. Browse to the folder with your preferred images. This could be the default “Pictures” folder or another location where you saved pictures.
2. Click the image you want, then click Open.
3. Check the panel. The image should now be set as your background and appear among the available wallpapers. It stays there for later use.

If your image is not listed in the file chooser, check that the file is a supported image type and that it is not in a folder you cannot read. Also make sure the chooser is not filtering for another file type.

That completes the process. Close the Settings app to finish. Your new background stays in place after you log out or restart. To go back, reopen the same panel and click another image.

Conclusion:

• Changing your desktop background in Ubuntu Linux is a simple way to personalize your computer and display meaningful images.
• Whether it’s photos of family, pets, or memorable places, Ubuntu Linux lets you set your own images as the desktop background without extra software.
• From the central Settings app, open the Background tile (or Appearance on newer releases) and choose from system images or add your own pictures. You can also right-click an image in Files and choose Set as Wallpaper.
• You can also pick dynamic wallpapers that change through the day, choose light or dark wallpapers to match your Appearance style, or use personal photos to customize your desktop further. Any change can be undone by choosing another image.